Type-writer.



No. 662,333. Patented Nov. 20, I900.

J. P. ANGELL.

(N0 Model.)

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TYPE-WRITER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,333, dated November 20, 1900.

Application filed April 25, 1900. Serial No. 14,286. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH P. ANGELL, of Pine Bluff, in the county of Jefferson, and in the State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type- Writers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of atype-writer provided with my shiftable keyboard; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same, and Fig. 3 a detail view in section.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The object of my invention is to provide means for printing in cipher on type-writing machines which will be of simple and inexpensive construction and admit of easy and rapid change of code; and to this end said invention consists in a keyboard having the features of construction substantially as hereinafter specified.

Briefly stated, my invention comprises a keyboard that is shiftable relative to the typeactuating devices of the type-writer, so as to enable a given key to cause the printing at different times by any one of several type of a substitute for the letter or character by which said key is designated, and it is capable of embodiment either as an integral part of the type-Writer, in which case it takes the place of the ordinary fixed keyboard, or as an attachment for type-writers already or ordinarily made, in which case it comprises a keyboard with keys that are duplicates of the keys of the type-writer to which the attachment is to be applied.

To illustrate the invention I have selected its embodiment as an attachment for an ordinary writingmachine, in which embodiment there is employed a base-plate A, that is shaped for convenient application to the type-writer frame. The type-writer shown is the familiar Oaligraph, which has an extension B in front for the key-levers, and the base-plate A is applied to the top of such extension and suitably secured theret0as, for example, by hooks O and O, pivoted to said plate, that catch under the bottom of the eX- tension. Above and connected with the baseplate A, so as to be shiftable to difierent positions, is a plate D, that extends over the type-Writer keys E and E, where it supports keys F and F, that in number, arrangement, and marking are duplicates of the keys E and E beneath. As shown, each of the keys F and F has a stem that passes through a guide-opening in the plate D, so that its lower end can engage a key E beneathit and preferably, to avoid defacing such key and prevent noise a cushion f, of rubber or other approprate material, is applied to the lower end of the stem. If desired, a spring may be applied to each key F to raise it after having been depressed; but this is not necessary, as it will be lifted by the type-Writer key which it operates. The characters designating the keys F and F may, as is common, be applied directly to the key-heads; but'it is preferred that, as shown, they be placed on the plate D adjacent to the appropriate keys. This arrangement is of advantage, as it conduced to rapid and accurate work, because the character for the key being operated is not covered by the finger of the operator. Moreover, it makes unnecessary any special construction of the key-stem to prevent rotation of the key-head, as when no character is applied to the latter it is immaterial that it change its position circumferentially. Each character is borneby a disk G, having on its under side a stud g, thrust in a hole in the plate D, from which the stud may readily be withdrawn, so that the characters may be transposed to suit varying arrangements of different keyboards. The stud 9 may be split to form slightly-expanding spring-fingers for producing such friction as may be required to securely hold the disk in place.

On the upper side of the base-plate A are two vertical posts or studs H and H, and for each of the same is a series of holes I and I in the key-holding plate D, with any one of which the post may engage, and thus fix the position of the keys F and F, supported by the plate relative to the type-writer keys E and E. In the case of the Oaligraph shown it is possible to place the shiftable keyboard in six positions in addition to that for normal printing, and therefore there are seven holes for each postone, which is at the center of the group, for normal printing, and six for positions for cipher-printing, the holes of course being separated by spaces equal to the distance between the adjacent rows of type-writer keys in the directions in which the shiftable keyboard is to be moved. To transpose said keyboard, it is necessary merely to lift the plate D from the posts H and H, move it in the desired direction, and then replace it upon the posts. If desired, a shallow groove d may be run on the bottom of the plate D from one hole to either of the others of a group to engage the end of the post when the plate is lifted to free a hole possible inconvenience and annoyance may be obviated of caring for a part wholly removed from the machine. Preferably the holes I and I of each group will be numbered consecutively to facilitate the use of the devlce.

For translating the cipher the correspondent having a similar machine with a shiftable keyboard being informed of the number of the holes which the two posts engage keyboard is diametrically opposite that used provision such as this.

by the sender in printing the cipher.

The portion d of the plate D that supports the rearmost row of keys F and F is made separate, so that it may be taken out of the way when the keyboard is to be shifted backward, this being necessary, because with some machines the parts adjacent to the type-writer keyboard are so close to the latter as to interfere with backward adjustment of the shiftable keyboard in the absence of some Said portion (1 may be hinged or pivoted to the plate D to permit it to be moved out of the way without being detached from the plate. means of mounting the shiftable keyboard than the posts and holes may be employed, and I therefore do not restrict the scope of Of course other.

the invention to any particular construction for this purpose. 7

By having the keyboard bodily shiftable it is apparent that I secure a great ad vantage in respect to ease and celerity of change of the letters or characters which are to serve as substitutes to form the cipher over those devices in which each key individually has to be changed, and yet the number of directions in which the keyboard can be shifted and the frequency with which it may be shifted in printing a given message afford an abundance of commutations or variations.

As it is apparent that my mode of designating the keys F and F by placing their char acters adjacent to but noton them is applicable to ordinary keyboards, I desire it un derstood that I consider myself entitled there.- to whatever he the kind of keyboard in connection with which such mode of marking may be employed. The keyboard of the Galigraph illustrated is provided with both upper and lower case keys, and as the latter are located so that none of them are in the outer rows of the keyboard they are always in operative relation with the type-writer keys whatever be the transposed position of the keyboard. It is therefore most convenient with such a keyboard to use the lowercase keys alone in printing in cipher. Other keyboards are so arranged as to have the numeral and punctuation-mark bearing keys in one or more of the outer rows, and such keys, therefore, are the ones which are placed out of use by certain adjustments of the keyboard, and as they are those which are not needed in cipher work their non-use is immaterial.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isr 1. A keyboard for type-writers which is bodily shiftablc relative to the type-actuating devices, whereby difierent ones of said devices may be operated at different times by the same keyof the keyboard, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A keyboard for type-writers, comprising keys and a support therefor, which is bodily movable to change the position of the keys relative to the type-actuating devices, whereby different ones of said devices may be operated at different times by the same key of the keyboard, and means for fixing such keyboard in its different positions, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. An attachmentfortype-writers comprising a keyboard and means for holding the same with its respective keys in cooperative relation to different keys of the type-writer at difierent times, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4.. A keyboard attachment for type-writers comprising a base, a set of keys, a support common to all of the set, and means on the base that engage the support to hold said set In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of [0 April; A. D. 1900.

JOSEPH P. ANGELL.

Witnesses:

CHAS. J WILLIAMSON, J AS. E. HUTOHINSON. 

